2.03.2010

"play"ing

Last weekend you, your Daddy and I went to see the play The Very Hungry Caterpillar, at an area theater. We liked it a lot. But in the end they did something that I thought was a little unreasonable for a room full of children who had just out-sat their sitting capacity. They demanded a further 20 minutes or so to "questions and answers" about the production of the play.
Questions and answers for a room full of 0-5 year olds who were all more than happy believing that what they'd just seen was mostly likely real.

Little did I know yet that this was your favorite part of the whole deal.

Monday morning came with the usual school work scheduled. Near the end (during math) you said, "I want to do The Hungry Caterpillar play."
My first thought was maybe after we finish math. My next thought, a second later, was a reminder that we are HOMESCHOOLING for a reason. Homeschooling you who's worked your way into mostly a first grade curriculum by age four and can certainly afford to skip math... all week if need be.

And so we stopped the show -to start another, of course.

I got out all the construction papers, pipe cleaners, feathers, pom-poms, beady eyes, markers, crayons, colored pencils, scissors, and glue I could find. And the Eric Carle book itself. Then plopped down at the dining room table, pencil and paper in hand and said, "let's do it!"

You sat down at your chair and blurted, "MOM, I'm the creative director because I'm in charge of this play." and then began going through the book telling me everything we would need to make to do the play as I wrote as fast as I could.

That's when I realized that you soaked up EVERYthing they spoke during questions and answers after The Very Hungry Caterpillar.

You went on to astonish me, knowing what you would need to use for curtains, a black box to keep all the props behind, and how you would have to wear all black so no one would see you. You assured me that if anyone had questions you could just show them how you did "the production" at the end of the play. Such words and such understanding!

You worked hard and long at creating your own pieces and parts. When you asked me to step in and help you with the tree you made sure to color every square inch of it, leaving your mark regardless of who had to help you. :)

We are planning to do this play on video so that away family and friends can see it as well (and because you like to tape and watch back everything you do these days). I'm hoping to be through with "rehearsals" by the end of the week.

I can't wait to see what you have up your sleeve as to how you will present the story.

Another point for homeschool and all it's flexibility. I can't imagine how much you will learn and truly retain when you are able to chase your own passions and interests rather than follow suite to someone else's idea of what, when and how. It's so exciting to be a part of.

Sometimes I feel like I'm learning more than you are. And, like today when you told me point blank after correcting what you called a mistake in your language arts book, sometimes YOU are the teacher. ;)